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22 U.S.C. § 402

U.S. CodeFederal
MULTILATERAL ARMS TRANSFER AND CONTROL REGIME.
About This Law
pg_id_36508::119-84
Title
22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Chapter
CH39
Release
119-84
Release Date
2026-04-17

Section Text

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“(a) Implementation of the Regime.—“(1) Continuing negotiations.—The President shall continue negotiations among the 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and commit the United States to a multilateral arms transfer and control regime for the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. “(2) Proposing a temporary moratorium during negotiations.—In the context of these negotiations, the President should propose to the 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council a temporary moratorium on the sale and transfer of major military equipment to nations in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region until such time as the 5 permanent members agree to a multilateral arms transfer and control regime. “(b) Purpose of the Regime.—The purpose of the multilateral arms transfer and control regime should be—“(1) to slow and limit the proliferation of conventional weapons in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region with the aim of preventing destabilizing transfers by—“(A) controlling the transfer of conventional major military equipment; “(B) achieving transparency among arms suppliers nations through advanced notification of agreement to, or transfer of, conventional major military equipment; and “(C) developing and adopting common and comprehensive control guidelines on the sale and transfer of conventional major military equipment to the region; “(2) to halt the proliferation of unconventional weapons, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, as well as delivery systems associated with those weapons and the technologies necessary to produce or assemble such weapons; “(3) to limit and halt the proliferation of ballistic missile technologies and ballistic missile systems that are capable of delivering conventional, nuclear, biological, or chemical warheads; “(4) to maintain the military balance in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region through reductions of conventional weapons and the elimination of unconventional weapons; and “(5) to promote regional arms control in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. “(c) Achieving the Purposes of the Regime.—“(1) Controlling proliferation of conventional weapons.—In order to achieve the purposes described in subsection (b)(1), the United States should pursue the development of a multilateral arms transfer and control regime which includes—“(A) greater information-sharing practices among supplier nations regarding potential arms sales to all nations of the Middle East and Persian Gulf region; “(B) applying, for the control of conventional major military equipment, procedures already developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Multilateral Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM), and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR); and “(C) other strict controls on the proliferation of conventional major military equipment to the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. “(2) Halting proliferation of unconventional weapons.—In order to achieve the purposes described in subsections (b)(2) and (3), the United States should build on existing and future agreements among supplier nations by pursuing the development of a multilateral arms transfer and control regime which includes—“(A) limitations and controls contained in the Enhanced Proliferation Control Initiative; “(B) limitations and controls contained in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR); “(C) guidelines followed by the Australia Group on chemical and biological arms proliferation; “(D) guidelines adopted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (the London Group); and “(E) other appropriate controls that serve to halt the flow of unconditional [unconventional] weapons to the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. “(3) Promotion of regional arms control agreements.—In order to achieve the purposes described in subsections (b)(4) and (5), the United States should pursue with nations in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region—“(A) the maintenance of the military balance within the region, while eliminating nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and associated delivery systems, and ballistic missiles; “(B) the implementation of confidence-building and security-building measures, including advance notification of certain ground and aerial military exercises in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf; and “(C) other useful arms control measures. “(d) Major Military Equipment.—As used in this title, the term ‘major military equipment’ means—“(1) air-to-air, air-to-surface, and surface-to-surface missiles and rockets; “(2) turbine-powered military aircraft; “(3) attack helicopters; “(4) main battle tanks; “(5) submarines and major naval surface combatants; “(6) nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons; and “(7) such other defense articles and defense services as the President may determine.

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